Art Has Popped Up On Washington Street

When Jim Stephenson moved back to Hoboken about a month ago—he had first moved here in 2001—he noticed a lot of empty store fronts on Washington Street. 

"It's a little bit disheartening," said Stephenson, who has lived in several different apartments on Washington Street over the years. "Empty storefronts look horrible."

So Stephenson, 35, started a Pop Up Gallery in the space where baby boutique Itty Bitties used to be. Itty Bitties moved out earlier this year, and no new tenant for the space has been found. Until that happens, Stephenson said, he will be running a gallery in the space. The goal is two-fold: fill up the store front and help local artists. 

Local photographer River Clark, who said he specializes in fashion photography, stopped by the gallery on Monday afternoon to talk to Stephenson about hanging up some pieces. 

"It's a great idea," Clark said, adding that displaying photos would help him get more name recognition. Clark, who has lived in Hoboken for 10 years, also has his own studio on Newark Street. 

Stephenson said he mentioned the idea to put in a temporary gallery to the landlord of the building—Councilwoman Theresa Castellano, who owns City Discount next door.

When that happens, Stephenson is planning to move the gallery to another empty storefront on Washington Street, for which he said he is "actively looking."

About a dozen different artists are currently showcasing their work on the walls of the impromptu gallery. All the pieces—except for one that Stephenson did himself—are for sale. Prices range between $40 and $3,300. But, Stephenson added, all the prices are negotiable. 

The artists pay no hanging fees to showcase their work in the gallery. "My goal is not to make money," said Stephenson, who was trained to be an architect and is an artist himself.

The idea is to keep the gallery going in different places, and with different art on the wall. When a piece is sold, Stephenson gets a commission (he didn't clarify how much, but said it's a "very small percentage").  

Although Stephenson talks about the gallery in the first person plural (probably including some of the artists who stop by sometimes), he is the only one working in the gallery, which was opened a little more than  a week ago. 

Besides trying to help the economy, Stephenson also hopes to educate the people of Hoboken on art and encourage them to buy work from local artists.

"I want it to help the community," he said. 

The gallery at 207 Washington St. is open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Sunday, and from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. the rest of the week.